World meat industry news

In 2021, Russian turkey production jumped by 25% compared to the previous year, reaching 400,000 tonnes on the background of the rising domestic production, Russian consulting agency Agrifood Strategies estimated.

With this production level, Russia overtakes Poland and Germany, and now is likely ranking second in the list of the world’s largest turkey producers after the US, the company claimed, adding that the result is preliminary and is yet to be confirmed by official statistical agencies.

Stable turkey meat production

Russian poultry meat production has remained stable for the past 3 years thanks to steady growth in the turkey segment. For instance, Russian broiler meat production declined by 1.2% to 1.7% in 2021, Agrifood Strategies said. For the past few decades, broiler meat remained the most popular source of protein in Russia, but recent trends indicate that customers “get tired” of the broilers, the analysts added.

Turkey was the only type of meat the demand for which increased in Russia in 2021, a research conducted by analytical agency, GfK, showed. At the high season of mid-2021, the demand for poultry in Russia slumped by 10%, pork by 4.1%, and beef by 2.9%. Meanwhile, the demand for turkey increased by 14%, GfK reported.

Rightful place

As explained by Albert Davleyev, president of Agrifood Strategies, a large portion of Russian customers opting for poultry are people of an older generation, who consider it as a healthy choice.

“The turkey is reclaiming its rightful place in the Russian market, which it never had because there was no supply,” Davleyev said, further explaining that in all developed countries, turkey accounts for 10% of meat consumption. In Russia, this figure is still limited to only 3% but is poised for strong growth in the next few years.

Increasing demand for turkey meat

“Given that our entire meat market is 11.5-12 million tonnes, theoretically, domestic turkey meat consumption should grow to more than 1 million tonnes. This is hardly possible in the near future. But 600,000 to 700,000 tonnes is quite a realistic forecast,” Davleyev said, adding that the rise in turkey meat production in Russia still lags behind increasing demand.

However, expanding capacities make turkey meat more affordable for Russian customers. In 2021, the price for turkey increased by only 8%, compared to a 15% growth seen in the broiler meat segment. Despite that, turkey is still about 50% more expensive than broiler meat on the Russian market, Davleyev estimated.